Time with Grandma & Grandpa

Yesterday, we had a nice visit with Larry & Rhonda.  They made us some corned beef and cabbage as well as a yummy dessert.  It's always nice visiting with them....such fun people to be around.  We always enjoy our talks.  We even watched some of the WIAA Girls Basketball Tournament.  Nice to see some northern teams (Wausau Newman, Regis and Altoona) were able to bring home the gold balls.  Unfortunately, my alma mater, Prentice team just didn't play to their potential in their game and lost out on their chance to play in the championship game. 

Below is a few pictures of our day with Grandma and Grandpa Kaszubowski.

Rhonda having fun with the kids, even all the stuffed animals.



Carter being silly.

Carlee playing mother hen with the Raggedy Ann doll.

Carter hangin' out.

Larry and Carlee

Well, Carlee thought it was funny anway.....sorry, Carter.

Carlee and Rhonda playing under the table.

Kiddos Having Fun

 Carter thought he looked cool in his sunglasses, while eating.

 Her hair is growing!

 Carlee having fun with a pencil and paper.

 Jay going "pigeon" hunting in the barn.

 Carlee decided to wear Carter's hat.

 Carter came home on St. Patrick's day with his face painted.  So cute!

 Carlee just dancing around to the Laurie Berkner Band.

 The kids hanging out in their new fort underneath the stairs.

One day I heard a bunch of rumbling going on, so I go and check it out and Carlee is sitting in the pantry area; she found the Cheese Puffs I had stored away for another day.  I guess she really wanted some.  lol

Just a cute little video of the kids showing their muscles.

Carlee counting to 9.  She could have gone a little further, but she was distracted. 

At least I caught this much....  Her pronounciation is so sweet!

My Dear Grandma

Wasn't she beautiful?

It has been a very sad time losing my last grandparent. Grandma was a wonderful lady….so full of life; an absolute spit-fire.  She really told people how she felt about everything and anything!  Never get her going on George W. Bush....that's for sure!  It’s too bad her last days had to be spent at a place she didn’t care for.  After her passing, I went to the nursing home to help gather her belongings, and I just thought to myself, “What a depressing place.”  It’s not because that’s usually the last place people go before their final resting home, but it's the environment that they have to do so in.  So dull and boring; not colorful; not exciting; no homey-feel to it.  The walls in her rooms were painted white bricks (made me wonder if that’s what it would feel like in prison).  Her shared bathroom didn’t even have a vent to help air out the room.  During one of my visits, I thought this should have been a necessity in a nursing home.  It was heartbreaking to know that these people have lived and worked all of their lives and now have succumbed to this kind of living. Grandma made comments like “No one ever comes to see me”, but that wasn’t true.  It just felt like an eternity, from one visit to the next, because she wasn’t accustomed to being so secluded and bored.  To me, she’ll always be the 96 year old grandma who was still taking weekly trips across the country in a semi truck with my dad.  She was 96 and still living in her own apartment, so moving to a nursing home was quite a blow to her independence.  I am certain my grandma is much happier where she is at now… I have to believe that. 

 Celebrating her birthday in 2005.

 Grandma and I at her 90th birthday party. 

"Oh, you shouldn't have" were some of her most used words.

This was a surprise visit to her place in Prentice.  She sure loved seeing Carter that day.

Picture taken on 8-1-2011, a couple weeks before she went into the nursing home.

She loved our picnics at Mondeaux Dam. 

 She loved it when we were all together.

Grandma and my dad laughing...most likely because of something goofy my dad said.  :-)

He could always make her smile.

I searched for a poem that would help describe my grandma's life, but most just didn't fit.  Either they were too sappy, or too personalized to someone else's situation.  My grandma lived a very long and fulfilled life, so I can't say that this wasn't expected.  I just never thought the day would actually come. 

I thought of you with love today, but that's nothing new.  I thought of you yesterday and the day before that too.  I often speak your name.  Now all I have are the memories and a picture in a frame.  Your memory is my keepsake with which I'll never part.  God has you in his keeping and I have you in my heart. ~Author Unknown

Lillian DuBois

APR 30, 1914 - MAR 11, 2011

a little of 'this and that'

This week Carter had to take a snack to school so we did the alphabet sugar cookies and also made some puppy chow, which Carlee really liked.

Below is a video of the kids sharing a peanut butter bagel one morning.  You can also hear Jay singing, unfortunately.....glad he is keeping the day job.

Marissia, this one's for you.  It's one of your outfits you gave to Carter. I know it's on backwards, but didn't have the heart to tell him....he looked cute anyway. He found it and wanted to try it on.  :-)

Carlee hanging out in her chair.

Not good.....



Interesting Week

We've had a normal, but interesting week so far. 

Tuesday, I was able to join Carter and his 4K friends to the Woodson Museum and the Grand Theater in Wausau.  While watching "Giggle Giggle Quack", the characters were eating pizza and one of them burps when they are finished.  Laughing, Cater looks over to me and says, "He didn't even say 'excuse me.'"   Another boy, while on the bus ride looks at me and says, "Fazoli's has the best food EVER!"  Kids this age are so funny!  Thankfully, my dad and Nadine were able to watch Miss Carlee while I was chaperoning. Thank you!!!
Tuesday night, Carter decides to lock his door because he doesn't want Carlee getting in to play with his toys.  We figure he must've slammed it pretty hard, because you're not supposed to be able to shut this door while it's locked.  We didn't have any keys (it takes those old-fashioned skeleton keys), and no other way to get in; the hinges of the door are in the inside; windows locked.  Tried picking lock on my own (non-mechanical & non-patient me) to no avail.  Therefore, just decided to wait until Jay got home, which wouldn't be until Wednesday night.  (He was manning the Meyer Buildings booth at the Eau Claire Farm Show and staying with his dad in Bloomer Tuesday night.) I called him and told him what's going on and asked him to stop at a hardware store to see if he can buy a skeleton key.  The following night, he comes home without a key; he forgot to stop.  He trys to pick the lock; no such luck (yay! at least he couldn't do it either).  The following day, he stops at the hardware store in Marathon and gets two different skeleton keys and neither one fits.  So now we figure the only way to get in is to break down the door.  Fortunately, he kept pushing the door harder and harder and it just popped open!
Thursday, I woke up not feeling good at all, so that day continued as worthless.  My dad stops by in the evening with his semi-truck after a couple inches of fresh snow and gets stuck on his way out.  With a little help from Jay, a plow truck and chains, he was able to get out pretty quick.
Quite an interesting week for one of my first posts.

There's a sound in my ear

Listen closely to what Carter has to say....it's so funny! (This one was taken in January, but had to share.)

Carter's 1st time playing Wii

Ella is teaching Carter how to bowl, Wii-style.  :-)

Just some misc pics from February...

the crew ready for their snowmobiling trip

Ashley, Ron, Justin, Jay & Carter



Carter wearing my helmet....
it worked!



 the kids and their Valentine's Day treats

 Carlee having fun outside

 the fan crew at the Powerlifting Meet in Phillips

Angie, Hanna, Emma, Carter & Carlee

Yes, it was crazy!!

 Jordan

Ouch...it looks like that would hurt.

 Jared peparing for his lift.

 Carlee's snow-prints

 Carter & his teacher, Mrs. Chrouser

 Carter practicing his penmanship for his teachers who were visiting.

Carter, Ella & Carlee's playdate